In this episode of the podcast, I'm focusing on two smaller-scale R/C vehicles that I'm currently reviewing. The first is the RGT Adventurer V2 which was provided by the folks at Banggood. This 1/24-scale crawler has been a fun addition to my growing fleet of small crawlers and can hold its own against other heavyweights in this category.

The second vehicle that I'll talk about is the XC324 Manga Spirit from Xotik. This R/C car looks like the popular Mini 4WD from Tamiya but has the added ability to be driven just about anywhere. From the track to your kitchen floor, this car has provided for some much-needed breaks during my current work-from-home scenario.

Lastly, I wanted to give you a preview of what's currently on my workbench...an airplane. I've been helping two of my sons build an R/C airplane as part of a Boy Scouts merit badge, and it's provided some unique learning opportunities for us all.

Time flies when you're swamped with projects. With quite a few things happening in and around the R/C hobby, I felt it was time to clear the deck. Fair warning, this episode is as random as it gets. New models, R/C news, and a few workbench updates thrown in for good measure.

It's not often that I get to chat with folks in the film industry, so when the opportunity arose to chat with the director (Dave Hill) and producer (Trenton Waterson) of the upcoming film, Flying Cars, I knew it was something I couldn't pass up. The R/C hobby isn't often highlighted in mainstream media, which makes Flying Cars unique right from the start.

 Throughout our hour-long chat, Dave and Trenton shared their experiences with the hobby, what challenges they faced while making the film, as well as their feelings on finally being able to release this film to the viewing public. Much to my delight, we even managed to squeeze in a little chat about 1/10-scale and small-scale crawlers.

The movie will be released for purchase on Tuesday, May 19 through AppleTV/iTunes (pre-order is now open), Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play.

Small-scale R/C crawlers have come into their own in recent years, and with models such as the Axial SCX24 and Carisma MSA-1E, you can replicate the fun of 1/10-scale crawling just about anywhere you go. When you aren’t able to wheel your tiny truck outside, there are plenty of ways to build your own indoor crawling course or set of obstacles.

In this episode of the RC Newb Podcast, I share a few of my favorite materials and approaches to building scaled-down crawling terrain.

Once you've popped the lid on the R/C kit-building experience, it's hard to turn back. Such has been the case for hobby experience. Following my Tamiya Grasshopper project, I've been on the lookout for new kits to check out. Over the past few months, I've been focusing on an on-road machine from Carisma and an off-road blaster from Pro-Line.

In this epiosde of The RC Newb Podcast, I'll share my thoughts on both of these models, as well as the experiences that I had building them.

Looking ahead to 2020, let's not forget about two fun, capable small-scale crawlers that arrived on the scene in 2019. Axial's SCX24 Deadbolt was a surprise release and has quickly become one of my favorite 1/24-scale travel companions. In addition to this little rig, Carisma refreshed their MSA-1E with a new motor and gearing setup, making this small-scaler even more impressive than before.

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One of the biggest surprises of 2019 has been the rise of Element RC and their lineup of ready-to-run (RTR) and kit trail trucks. The Enduro Sendero RTR has become a favorite of mine, both in terms of performance and overall driving enjoyment. In this episode of The RC Newb Podcast, I share my thoughts on this 1/10-scale trail rig, along with a glimpse at what's to come in future episodes.

Everyone should build a kit. If you haven't experienced building a radio-controlled machine from the ground up, you should add that to your hobby to-do list.

For seasoned pros who have assembled more 1/10-scale (or larger) models than they can count, may I introduce you to a different challenge; a small-scale build. Earlier this year, rcmart.com gave me the opportunity to build an Orlandoo Hunter OH32A03, a 1/32-scale Land Rover Defender-style micro crawler. Since I'm always up for a challenge, I happily accepted there offer and spent more than a few nights turning some tiny wrenches and assembling this indoor explorer.

In this episode of The RC Newb Podcast, I share my thoughts on the build process for this kit, along with some recent hobby/model news.

I’ve taken the Redcat Racing GEN8 on a number of adventures since it arrived in my R/C garage earlier this year. Between it’s affordability, performance, and appearance, it’s become one of my favorite scale radio-control models to take out on the trail.

In this episode of the RC Newb Podcast, I’ll share my thoughts on the GEN8 as well as give a preview of what’s to come on future episodes of the show.

Save 10% on your next order at Pro-Line Racing with coupon code RCNEWBAP10!

This hobby truly has something for everyone. I've found myself spending more time at my workbench on a variety of tune-ups and project than I have actually wheeling an R/C vehicle, but I'll take the calming effects of a hex driver any day of the week. Between upgrading the handling aspects of the Carisma Scale Adventure Lynx to updating the look of my Traxxas TRX-4 Sport, I've had a variety of vehicles up on jacks, including a challenging small-scale build.

In this episode, I share a few of my current upgrade projects, touch on some of ARRMA's latest go-fast machines, and share a few upcoming events that you might find worthwhile.